Bullying
Being gay at school...
Being gay and a teenager can be fun, but at the same time it can be challenging. In schools, colleges and universities there are many gay people (even if you don’t think there are) and they all have rights. You, just like the thousands of other gay people, have the right to be safe and happy at home and at school.
Who has rights?
Everyone has rights and just because you’re gay or questioning doesn’t mean that you are the exception to the rule. You have the right to be safe and happy. It is the responsibly of schools and universities to ensure that all their registered pupils have the right to be safe at all times.
“It’s important to realize that section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act never actually applied to schools and was repealed in 2003; Teachers are free to discuss homophobic bullying and lesbian, gay and bisexual issues in the classroom and schools have a legal duty to respond to all forms of bullying.”
Bullying in schools...
"2 in 3 gay pupils are subjected to homophobic bullying every day in our secondary school." Stonewall's school survery
Everyone wants to be liked, feel accepted and feel safe at school – that’s normal. Sometimes, however, bullies stop us from feeling this way. Often people who are bullied feel very alone and unhappy, because of certain individuals or groups that think that it’s ok to bully somebody because they are different.
Why do people bully each other?
Bullies are people who enjoy hurting other people’s feelings and sometimes physically harming them and this can be for a number of reasons. Sometimes bullies think that somebody might not ‘fit’ a certain image they have about somebody. For example a boy who doesn’t play football might get bullied because he doesn’t ‘fit in’ with the other boys. Other reasons why somebody might bully another person is because they are a minority. This often triggers certain types of bullying, for example racist or homophobic bullying. Homophobic bullying is bullying that is fuelled by prejudice against lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Transphobia is prejudice against transgender people.
Nobody deserves to be bullied and it’s not your fault if you’re being bullied.
What can I do about if I’m being bullied?
The best advice is to keep a record of every bullying incident, as this will be helpful if you need to report the bullying. If you are being bullied by text or through the internet, then save these messages too. You should also try to stay in a group with your friends and record if anybody has witnessed a particular bullying incident. If you feel that the person who is bullying you doesn’t realise that they are hurting you, then you could talk to them. But if you’re being bullied by somebody who is aggressive a friendly chat might not be the best idea. In this case you might need to get some outside help.
Talking to somebody else about the bullying might feel really difficult. You don’t need to tell an adult straight away if you don’t want to. You might want to tell your best friend first and then tell an adult. Talking to an adult might be scary, because you might think that it’ll make the situation worse. What you need to remember is that it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that all of their pupils are happy and secure. The school will do something about the bullying and if after you have spoken to members of staff the bullying carries on then go back to your teachers and tell them. You might want to get a parent or carer to come in and speak to the school too. If you think that the school hasn't done anything about the bullying then you should tell your parents and they will be able to contact school governors or local authorities about it. If a school ignores bullying, then they are not fulfilling the contract that was made between them, you and your parents when you joined the school.
Do I need to tell the school about my sexuality?
No. It shouldn't matter about your sexuality – it’s your well-being that is really important here. Just because the bullying is homophobic doesn't mean that you are gay, lesbian or bisexual. Homophobic bullying affects people who are, or thought to be gay. You don’t need to come out, just because somebody is bullying you.
If you're reading this and feel like you need help now please contact childline! www.childline.org.uk The worse thing you can do is to suffer in silence.
Stonewall's School Report 2012
"I feel that I don’t want to carry on in school if this is what I have to put up with and hide what I feel all the time." Simon 14
"I was a straight A* student. I got 100 per cent in my science exams, I’m really proud of that. But because of bullying my classwork and coursework has suffered, leaving me with a lower grade, about a C/B." Ian 16
Being gay and a teenager can be fun, but at the same time it can be challenging. In schools, colleges and universities there are many gay people (even if you don’t think there are) and they all have rights. You, just like the thousands of other gay people, have the right to be safe and happy at home and at school.
Who has rights?
Everyone has rights and just because you’re gay or questioning doesn’t mean that you are the exception to the rule. You have the right to be safe and happy. It is the responsibly of schools and universities to ensure that all their registered pupils have the right to be safe at all times.
“It’s important to realize that section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act never actually applied to schools and was repealed in 2003; Teachers are free to discuss homophobic bullying and lesbian, gay and bisexual issues in the classroom and schools have a legal duty to respond to all forms of bullying.”
Bullying in schools...
"2 in 3 gay pupils are subjected to homophobic bullying every day in our secondary school." Stonewall's school survery
Everyone wants to be liked, feel accepted and feel safe at school – that’s normal. Sometimes, however, bullies stop us from feeling this way. Often people who are bullied feel very alone and unhappy, because of certain individuals or groups that think that it’s ok to bully somebody because they are different.
Why do people bully each other?
Bullies are people who enjoy hurting other people’s feelings and sometimes physically harming them and this can be for a number of reasons. Sometimes bullies think that somebody might not ‘fit’ a certain image they have about somebody. For example a boy who doesn’t play football might get bullied because he doesn’t ‘fit in’ with the other boys. Other reasons why somebody might bully another person is because they are a minority. This often triggers certain types of bullying, for example racist or homophobic bullying. Homophobic bullying is bullying that is fuelled by prejudice against lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Transphobia is prejudice against transgender people.
Nobody deserves to be bullied and it’s not your fault if you’re being bullied.
What can I do about if I’m being bullied?
The best advice is to keep a record of every bullying incident, as this will be helpful if you need to report the bullying. If you are being bullied by text or through the internet, then save these messages too. You should also try to stay in a group with your friends and record if anybody has witnessed a particular bullying incident. If you feel that the person who is bullying you doesn’t realise that they are hurting you, then you could talk to them. But if you’re being bullied by somebody who is aggressive a friendly chat might not be the best idea. In this case you might need to get some outside help.
Talking to somebody else about the bullying might feel really difficult. You don’t need to tell an adult straight away if you don’t want to. You might want to tell your best friend first and then tell an adult. Talking to an adult might be scary, because you might think that it’ll make the situation worse. What you need to remember is that it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that all of their pupils are happy and secure. The school will do something about the bullying and if after you have spoken to members of staff the bullying carries on then go back to your teachers and tell them. You might want to get a parent or carer to come in and speak to the school too. If you think that the school hasn't done anything about the bullying then you should tell your parents and they will be able to contact school governors or local authorities about it. If a school ignores bullying, then they are not fulfilling the contract that was made between them, you and your parents when you joined the school.
Do I need to tell the school about my sexuality?
No. It shouldn't matter about your sexuality – it’s your well-being that is really important here. Just because the bullying is homophobic doesn't mean that you are gay, lesbian or bisexual. Homophobic bullying affects people who are, or thought to be gay. You don’t need to come out, just because somebody is bullying you.
If you're reading this and feel like you need help now please contact childline! www.childline.org.uk The worse thing you can do is to suffer in silence.
Stonewall's School Report 2012
"I feel that I don’t want to carry on in school if this is what I have to put up with and hide what I feel all the time." Simon 14
"I was a straight A* student. I got 100 per cent in my science exams, I’m really proud of that. But because of bullying my classwork and coursework has suffered, leaving me with a lower grade, about a C/B." Ian 16